


Yule

by crimsonherbarium



Series: Wheel of the Year [8]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game)
Genre: Aiden finally makes it to Kaer Morhen, Anal Sex, Bathtubs, Established Relationship, Fireplaces, Happy Ending, Kaer Morhen, Love, M/M, Mentioned Eskel (The Witcher), Mentioned Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Mentioned Vesemir (The Witcher), Midwinter, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings, Riding, Shameless Smut, Tenderness, Wheel of the Year, Wintering, Yule, no beta we die like men, the final installment in the series!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:54:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21897001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimsonherbarium/pseuds/crimsonherbarium
Summary: Kaer Morhen had never really been warm, even with a fire blazing constantly in the grate in the hall below throughout the winter months. It had never really felt like home, despite him returning here, year after year, decade after decade, to wait out the snows before setting out on the Path once more.With Aiden, it was different.(At the end of a long journey, Aiden finally makes it to Kaer Morhen.)
Relationships: Aiden/Lambert (The Witcher)
Series: Wheel of the Year [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1291211
Comments: 18
Kudos: 123
Collections: Discord Community Archive





	Yule

The fire crackled merrily in the brazier in the center of the tower room as Lambert sank contentedly into a tub of steaming water. It was hot enough to scald, and deep enough that he was submerged almost to his shoulders. He hummed under his breath as the heat seeped into his bones. 

Kaer Morhen had never really been warm, even with a fire blazing constantly in the grate in the hall below throughout the winter months. It had never really felt like home, despite him returning here, year after year, decade after decade, to wait out the snows before setting out on the Path once more. 

With Aiden, it was different. 

He fit into place amongst the wolves as easily as a stone into a gap in one of the crumbling walls Vesemir was always harping on them to fix. Any suspicions Geralt and Eskel might have had of him were dispelled the moment he brought out the bottles of spirit he’d carted along in his saddlebags for the cold months, and Vesemir seemed to appreciate his even demeanor and sharp wit. The old man was the last person he’d expected Aiden to hit it off with, but for the first several nights after they arrived at the keep the two of them could be found swapping stories in the kitchen well into the night, a half-empty bottle of Lambert’s potato vodka on the table between them. There was no telling how old Aiden was, really—after the first few decades one tended to lose count, and the nature of the law of surprise made it even harder to account for lost time. He’d aged well, that was certain, but for all Lambert knew he could have been at least as old as Geralt. Perhaps older. 

The castle felt more like home that winter than it ever had in Lambert’s memory. True, he still had to patch walls, and true, he still found the chore to be detestable and hated the grit of the mortar dust that settled into his hair, but he minded it far less with Aiden by his side. Some days, he hunted with Eskel or Geralt. Others, he took Aiden out on the lake on his boat to fish. They ate like kings—or at least like civilized folk, for once—as the mountain passes froze solid on all sides and the snow began to accumulate around the walls of the fortress in thick white drifts like waves upon a frozen sea. 

Once the initial fears that the others would hold what had happened at the tournament between their schools decades prior against him had been alleviated, Aiden looked happier than Lambert had seen him in a long time. He seemed comfortable, at peace, all the weight fallen at once from his shoulders. On the Path he was always on edge, as if he were being hunted by something. And granted, that was often true. But it did make Lambert worry. He could only guess at the things that haunted Aiden’s dreams at night. 

Aiden sank into the tub opposite Lambert and sighed contentedly, closing his eyes as he luxuriated in the steaming water. He was bare except for his medallion, just like Lambert himself, the silver humming subtly against his chest and sending ripples through the water between them. 

Outside, the sky was black as ink, with stars scattered across it like diamonds. Snow clouds threatened, heavy and grey, in the distance. The wind occasionally surged in from the open archways of the balcony, but the two of them paid it no mind. The heat of the brazier was more than enough to drive back the cold. 

And it was Yule. The long night. 

And there were many hours still to go before dawn. 

Lambert had plans for the four-poster bed, the nicest by far in the entire castle, but those would keep until later. For now, he was content simply to watch Aiden relax for the first time in a long time, to drink in the sight of him as he sat in the tub with his eyes closed and his head tipped back against the edge. Lambert’s eyes traced the lines of his scars down his neck and across his chest, distorting where they met the water. The blooming of warmth across his skin as the heat sank into him. The stretch and pull of his muscles as he took a deep breath and sighed it out, steam rippling ever so slightly as it rose in the air between them. He bit his lip. 

Aiden cracked one eye, glancing at him suspiciously. “What?”

“You know damn well what.” 

Aiden chuckled, closing his eyes once more. “It was a mistake to get in here with you, wasn’t it?”

“Depends on how you want to spend the night.” Lambert shifted in the tub, moving closer to him, water sloshing against the wooden sides as he did. Aiden sucked in air as Lambert pressed his lips to his neck and kissed his way along the path of the scars. His right hand found Aiden’s left under the surface of the water, fingers entwining and squeezing against the heavy silver band he wore on his finger. He never took it off. Lambert had removed his once and only once, to dress a wound he’d received on that finger during a particularly nasty fight with an endrega. Had it not been for the metal, there was a good chance he would have lost the appendage altogether. He had a scar there now, but what was one more or less in his case? The ring all but hid it from view once he put it back on. 

“There isn’t a single soul I’d rather be trapped in this castle for months on end with than you,” Aiden replied, eyes still closed. “But since I went to all the trouble of drawing this bath, I’d very much like to enjoy it.”

“Who said we have to get out?” Lambert murmured against Aiden’s damp skin. 

“Hmm. An enticing counterpoint.” 

Aiden’s breath caught in his throat as Lambert nipped at the flesh of his neck, sucking on the sensitive skin. Deep violet bloomed under the surface when he pulled away. The mark would certainly still be there in the morning, but if Aiden was careful he could hide it with his gambeson. Lambert loved marking him like this, loved every bruise and scratch that he gave or received. Aiden was _his_ , his and no one else’s. No one else got to touch him like this. No one else got to taste him, to hear the little broken sounds he made when he was tangled up in Lambert and too far gone to care about being quiet. 

Desire flared hot in his belly as Lambert kissed Aiden’s neck, his jaw, his lips, his other hand coming up to tangle in his husband’s damp curls. Aiden submitted, deepening the kiss, his mouth warm and impossibly sweet against Lambert’s. 

“Fine,” he acquiesced when they pulled apart for air, one hand resting on Lambert’s chest. “You’ve convinced me. And I’d say we have a while before the water cools off, so…”

His hand trailed down Lambert’s abdomen to the crest of his hip and then to his stiffening cock. Lambert groaned as Aiden took him in hand, leaning in to capture his lips once more, slow and tender and wanting. 

Gods, he loved him like this. Aiden was warm and familiar, his eyes pools of liquid gold shot through with reflected firelight, his touch sweet and maddening against Lambert’s skin. He loved every line and scar of him, every little resin-sweet hum of his voice in the back of his throat. He loved the mischievous glint in his eyes, the flicker of a smile that crossed his lips. He loved his arms, so much stronger than they looked, as they wrapped around his waist and pulled him closer so that he was straddling Aiden’s lap. 

Aiden stroked his cock lazily under the surface of the water, lips pressed against Lambert’s chest, sucking water droplets from his skin. Lambert’s face flushed hot in a way that had nothing to do with the steaming water or the logs crackling on the fire and everything to do with the heady blush in Aiden’s cheeks and the low growl of desire in his throat as his cock stiffened against Lambert’s thigh. 

He bent down and kissed Aiden, slowly, tenderly, like they had all the time in the world and nothing else mattered. Which was true, in a way. They could spend every waking moment doing nothing but this until spring, if they really wanted to. Granted, it would probably irritate the others, but…

Aiden’s teeth nipping at his lower lip abruptly silenced that train of thought. Lambert hissed and bit back, eliciting an amused chuckle from Aiden. 

“Whoreson.”

“Mm. That I am.” Aiden planted one hand on the small of Lambert’s back and pulled him closer, looking up into his eyes as he stroked his cock with the other. “Though I’ve rarely heard you complain.”

“ ‘S hard to complain when you do things like that.”

“Perhaps I should do them more often, then.” Aiden’s lips curled in amusement. “Though I think the Pontar might freeze solid before I ever see you cheerful about anything.”

“Careful,” Lambert warned. “I’m still pretty sure I can kick your ass if I have to.”

Aiden grinned. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Later.” Lambert steadied himself on Aiden’s shoulders. “Kiss me.”

Aiden didn’t need to be asked twice. He leaned in and captured Lambert’s mouth with his own, sucking on his bitten bottom lip, deepening the kiss, his tongue swirling over Lambert’s. 

There would be time aplenty for sparring tomorrow, provided the impending snow hadn’t buried the keep entirely come morning. Tonight, there were no responsibilities. There was no Path, there were no contracts, there were no monsters save the wyvern that wailed plaintively into the night sky from the far distance of the other side of the valley. There was only the fire, and each other, and the bed that waited so enticingly in the corner with its turned-down sheets warmed by a pan of coals Aiden had slipped between them earlier. There was sweet relief in Lambert’s bones, born of a great weight falling from his shoulders. They had made it, finally made it. A moment of peace. A moment of respite. A moment of love, tangible and real, in a lifetime of hardship.

Aiden’s cock was hard against Lambert’s thigh, flushed and hot even compared to the water surrounding them. Lambert broke the kiss, gazing into his eyes hungrily. “I want you to fuck me.”

“Mother Melitele,” Aiden moaned under his breath, his grip on Lambert tightening. “Yes…”

“How do you—?”

“Hmm.” Aiden’s hand smoothed down Lambert’s back and gripped his ass. “Like this, but maybe…” He glanced toward the bed. 

Lambert nodded. “Yeah.”

There was a great deal of sloshing and water dripping onto the stone floor, which stubbornly resisted the heat of the fire. Lambert dried off cursorily, not particularly caring about the beads of water on his skin except that the wind still occasionally blustered in from the balcony brought with it a deadening chill. Aiden followed suit and then settled onto the bed, a pillow tucked behind the small of his back, leaning back against the headboard. 

“Come here.” 

There was warmth in his voice, and love, but also a dark undercurrent of desire. A low thrill of anticipation hummed through Lambert’s body in time with the vibration of his medallion as he climbed astride Aiden, settling down on top of him with a sigh. 

Aiden’s hands found his hips and then traced the curve of his ass. “Where’s the oil?”

“Right here.” Lambert retrieved the small bottle of golden liquid from the bedside table and handed it over. 

Aiden pulled the cork out with his teeth and drizzled the oil over his fingers. The scent of it, sweet and herbal, permeated Lambert’s senses. It smelled like sex. It smelled like desire and catharsis and the sweet warmth of Aiden’s body against his own. He shivered ever so slightly. 

Setting the bottle aside, Aiden pulled him closer. Lambert groaned as his oiled fingers slowly traced the ring of his ass and then pushed inside. “Fuck…”

Aiden bit his lip, looking into Lambert’s eyes as his fingers curled inside him. “Gods, Lambert…”

“Give me more.”

Lambert hated asking, hated sounding so needy, but this wasn’t enough. He wanted more of Aiden, wanted the thickness of his cock filling him up as Aiden thrust up into him, wanted his hands on his cock as he came. Wanted nothing more desperately than the sensation of Aiden spilling inside him, his face broken open in pure rapture as he clung to Lambert and fought to catch his breath. 

Aiden acquiesced, adding another finger, kissing Lambert’s chest as he slowly worked him open. Lambert rocked back against his hand, seeking more. 

“Aiden—” he said through gritted teeth. “Please.”

With a smug smile, Aiden withdrew his fingers and picked up the oil once more, this time pouring a small amount into his palm and using it to slick his cock. 

“Fuck,” he groaned as he thrust into his fist. 

Lambert grinned. He loved this, loved seeing Aiden begin to lose control. Loved his foul mouth and strong, desperate hands gripping him by the thighs and pulling him into a better position astride his lap. 

Aiden gripped his cock at the base and lined himself up with Lambert’s body, one eyebrow raised, an unspoken question on his lips. 

Lambert leaned in and kissed him to silence it, sinking down slowly onto Aiden as he did so. His breath hitched in his throat at the blunt press of Aiden’s cock against his ass, at the indescribable sensation of him pushing slowly inside. As good as Aiden was with his hands this was infinitely better, the heat and warmth of him filling Lambert up as his fingers squeezed Lambert’s hips and he growled low in his throat. 

“Gods, Lambert…”

“Fuck me.” Lambert cupped Aiden’s face with one hand and pulled him closer, kissing him, biting his lower lip, trying and failing to suppress what sounded horribly like a whimper as Aiden rolled his hips against him. His face flushed hot with embarrassment. 

“I like the sounds you make,” Aiden murmured, breath hot against Lambert’s skin. “I wish I heard them more.”

Lambert damn well wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. “If you want me to beg, you’re going to have to force it out of me.”

“I’ll take that as a challenge,” Aiden said, gripping Lambert tightly and thrusting into him, long and slow, setting an agonizing pace that only succeeded in making Lambert want more. 

He reached for his cock, seeking friction, but Aiden snatched his wrist and held it in an iron grasp. 

“You said you wanted me to fuck you,” he said with a grin. “No trying to rush things.”

Lambert swore foully, using some choice words he’d picked up from a Scoia’tael marksman many months ago at a trading post in the Redanian wilds. “Aiden—”

“Curse me all you want. You’ve built your own pyre this time.”

Lambert swore again and then groaned as Aiden’s cock grazed his prostate. The other man grinned voraciously and repeated the motion, canting his hips for a better angle. Lambert made a fist, his fingernails biting into his palm. 

Aiden kissed him, maintaining the same pace, lips trailing from his mouth to his jaw to the tender flesh of his neck and his collarbone. “You know I love you, Lambert...gods, I do. You look so beautiful like this…” He kissed Lambert like he was the best thing he’d ever tasted, a hungry glint in his eye. “I love the way you look with my cock inside you...I love the sounds you make for me…” Aiden groaned, breath ragged in his throat. “I love the way you feel...gods, you’re so tight—”

Lambert’s cock was so hard it was almost painful. “Please,” he managed, not caring about how undignified he sounded. “Aiden, I need—”

Aiden released his grip on Lambert’s wrist and Lambert rotated it gratefully, flexing his fingers to get the blood back into them. Aiden palmed his cock, his hand still slick with residual oil, stroking in time with his thrusts. 

“Fuck,” Lambert gasped brokenly, his voice shaking. “Like that…”

It felt like the world was slowly disappearing around them, blotted out by the impending snow until all had vanished save the two of them, tangled up in each other, no longer separate people but something greater than the sum of their parts. Four golden eyes. Two hearts. 

Lambert lost the merry crackling of the fire in the brazier in favor of the needy rasp of Aiden’s breathing. He lost the creak of the bed frame beneath them in favor of the obscene sound of flesh on flesh, and the howling of the wind outside in favor of the pounding of Aiden’s heart in his chest. He tipped his head back and moaned as he moved on top of Aiden, pushing back against him, wanting him deeper, harder, more. 

“Gods,” Aiden gasped, moving his lips in silent prayer as his thrusts grew unsteady and ever more frantic. “Gods, Lambert—”

The sight of him, teetering on the edge of the brink and desperately holding on, was what went Lambert over the edge. He shuddered as he came, his body squeezing around Aiden’s cock, cum spilling down Aiden’s stroking fingers. 

Aiden keened, the sound desperate and needy, thrusting deep into Lambert as he followed. If Lambert hadn’t known him better, he might have thought that the expression on his face was one of intense pain. He groaned at the sensation of Aiden filling him up, of him shuddering underneath him and holding onto him so tightly it seemed that he would never be able to extricate himself. Not that he wanted to. He wanted to lie here forever, tangled up in his lover, riding out the last ebbing throbs of his orgasm with the rise and fall of Aiden’s chest under his fingertips as the two of them fought to get their breathing under control. 

Golden eyes found his in the firelight, so tender that he felt he might break open. 

“I love you,” Aiden murmured, pressing his lips gently to Lambert’s own. 

Lambert melted into it, his heart throbbing almost painfully in his chest. “I love you too.”

Aiden’s left hand found Lambert’s right. Lambert squeezed it and then brought it up to his lips, kissing Aiden’s knuckle just below the warm metal of his wedding ring. 

The need for a proper bath, or at least for a few damp rags and a strong drink, eventually forced them to separate. Later, when they were clean once more, Lambert lay on his back in the bed with Aiden curled up against his chest, running his fingers through Aiden’s hair. 

“I’m glad you came here with me,” he murmured after a while. “Wintering’s not so bad with you around.”

Aiden hummed in agreement. “I’m glad, too.” He looked up at Lambert with a soft smile in his eyes. “Many winters still to come.”

Many winters, indeed. Lambert sighed contentedly as he gazed out into the cold December night through half-closed eyes. 

As he slowly drifted off, lulled to sleep by the sound of Aiden’s breathing and the beating of his heart, the snow finally began to fall.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Yule 2019 🎁
> 
> I killed Aiden for Christmas last year, so please consider this fic yet another apology. This story completes the Wheel of the Year series, and I couldn't think of a better way to leave Lambert and Aiden than here, happy together, finally getting all the things Lambert always wanted for them. I'm feeling incredibly bittersweet as this is the end of an era and the end of their story. I shed a few tears writing it, and I shed a few more editing. 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who read along as I worked on this, especially those of you who have been reading since Silver for Monsters. You're troopers. I love you all a lot. Thank you for all the sweet kudos and comments over the years. I appreciate them more than I can say. <3


End file.
